Painful lessons fuel CJ Cansino after career-high game turns into loss 

Meralco guard CJ Cansino had just authored the best scoring night of his young PBA career, yet the numbers offered little comfort after the Bolts’ 99–96 Game 5 loss to TNT, a defeat that ended both their semifinal run and Cansino’s first taste of postseason spotlight.

He scored 36 points on an efficient 60-percent clip, a breakout performance that placed him squarely in the center of the moment. But basketball’s cruel timing meant that his misses came when they mattered most, and Meralco’s season slipped away in the final seconds.

“Sobrang regret din. Andun na, e,” said the 26-year-old, still processing how close the Bolts came to extending the series.

The night could have easily ended differently—and Meralco might not have even been in position to steal the win without Cansino’s fourth-quarter explosion. 

He poured in 17 points in the final period, igniting a 20–5 run that erased a double-digit deficit and gave the Bolts a 95–91 lead with just 27 seconds remaining.

For a moment, it looked like a coronation.

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36 POINTS AND COUNTING

CJ Cansino is on fire in the fourth quarter with crucial plays to help the Meralco Bolts regain the lead against TNT Tropang 5G in Game 5 of the PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup semifinals!#PBA50 #PBA50LID pic.twitter.com/qOhWcOR0Rk

— One Sports (@OneSportsPHL) January 14, 2026

Instead, TNT leaned on its playoff pedigree. Rey Nambatac and Jordan Heading delivered under pressure, flipping the script with clutch execution to secure the Tropang 5G’s first Finals berth of the season-opening conference.

The final possessions told the harshest story. Cansino lost the ball on a steal by Heading that led to the go-ahead basket. Moments later, Calvin Oftana blocked his attempt, and on Meralco’s last chance, a forced four-point try failed to connect.

Cansino didn’t shy away from the responsibility.

“Mabigat pero sobrang teaching moments sa akin ito. Laking opportunity na binigay sa akin na matuto ako sa ganitong bagay,” said Meralco’s first-round pick from the Season 49 draft.

For all the regret, there was also clarity. This was Cansino’s first 30-point game in the PBA, achieved on the biggest stage of his career so far, in his first-ever semifinals appearance. The moment exposed both his ceiling—and the work still ahead.

“Hindi man namin nakuha yung panalo, pero on the good side, the positive side, sobrang laking itinuro sa akin ng semis na ito.”

It was a loss that stung deeply, but also one that redefined him. For CJ Cansino, the blood and heartbreak of Game 5 may end up marking the beginning of something bigger rather than the end of a season.

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